Book 2, Chapter 8 Notes from A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities Book 2, Chapter 8

Monseigneur, whose full name is Monsieur the Marquis, is riding through the countryside in his traveling carriage. The village he is passing through is obviously poor; there are few children, no dogs, and very little food. As he approaches the gate of a house, he sees many miserable-looking peasants gathered around, staring at him. Another peasant, a mender of roads, joins the group, and Monsieur beckons to the man to approach. He asks if he passed the man on the road, and the man replies that he did. Monsieur asks the man why he stared at him so intently, and the man replies that he was staring at "the man." Monsieur asks him what man, and the man says that there was a man who was hanging on to the bottom of Monsieur's carriage, as if he were trying to rob it. Monsieur calls the man an idiot and demands to know exactly what he is talking about. The man says he does not know who the man was, but that he was tall and extremely pale and was hanging off the side of the carriage. Monsieur chastises the man for not telling him then that he saw a thief trying to rob his carriage. He asks the man if the thief ran away, and the man replies that the thief threw himself head-first over the hillside. The carriage continues on, eventually stopping at a large chateau. When he arrives in the house, he asks someone there if Monsieur Charles, who he is expecting from England, has arrived. The person replies that he has not.